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Dr. Jackie Sehn, at Mercy Vet, in Mercer Island, Washington states“A dog that is a perfect weight, you can feel the ribs, but not see them. And you have an abdominal tuck when you look from the side. From above, right in front of the hips, you can see the waistline,” . She points out that the dog must be touched to feel the amount of fat, especially in long-coat breeds. Dr. Carol Osborne, an integrative veterinarian at Chagrin Falls Pet Clinic in Ohio, echoes the fact that a dog doesn’t have to be clinically obese to experience health consequences. “Being just 10% overweight decreases a dog’s lifespan by one-third and predisposes him to heart, kidney and liver disease as well as diabetes, arthritis, and cancer.”
What is my dog's ideal weight? Dogs come in all different shapes and sizes. Even dogs of the same breed can have different ideal weights, this is because each dog should be treated as an individual and will have different ratios of bone density/fat/muscle.
You can asses your dog by following the below criteria -
These are:
– How easily you can feel the ribs,
– How obvious the waist and abdominal tuck are
– How much excess fat is beneath the skin
– How much muscle mass is present
Underweight
Your dog's ribs are easily felt and visible under the skin for short haired breeds.
Body fat barely felt under the skin.
Some other bony spots may be seen under the skin.
Waist and abdominal tuck are obvious.
Ideal Weight
Your dog's ribs are easily felt without excess fat covering them.
From above, the waist can be seen behind the ribs.
From the side, the abdomen is tucked up, rather than running straight back to the legs.
Overweight
Your dog's ribs can barely be felt with fat covering them.
Noticeable fat deposits over the base of the tail and lumbar area (between pelvic bone and ribs on back).
Your dog's waist is absent or barely visible.
Abdominal tuck may be present depending how overweight the dog is.
Having a dog with an “overweight” body condition score increases the risk of developing cardiopulmonary disease, diabetes, osteoarthritis, liver disease, pancreatitis, and even some cancers.
If your dog falls under the category of being underweight follow the below the steps :
- Feed 3% of their ideal body weight
- Check what supplements they are taking as some might increase the metabolism
- Give a good probiotic and enzymes. If the gut microbiome isn’t healthy, your dog is vulnerable to all kinds of health concerns including weight.
- Do a blood test to check glucose levels, cushings and thyroid.
- Avoid too many carbs. Dogs can only digest 2% of carbs. More carbs will only cause a strain to the digestive system and convert them to glucose. Instead add calories in the form of taurine and muscle meats.
- Do not overfeed fatty meats this will only cause the pancreas and intestines to inflame.
- Feed healthy fats such as cononut oil, eggs and bananas in moderation.
How much should my dog be fed?
The quantity your dog eats depends on their age, physical activity, medical conditions and their current weight.
Adult dogs need to eat 2-3% of their ideal body weight.
2% - dogs with low activity level & senior dogs, dogs that need to loose weight
2.5% - dogs with medium activity
3% - Very active dogs and dogs that need to gain weight.
On rare occasion working dogs need to eat 4%.
We never recommend exceeding the amount, even if your dog looks constantly hungry. Dogs are facultative carnivores therefore their brains are wired to over eat so that if a day comes when there is no prey available for them to catch they will have enough energy to continue hunting. In fact dogs that are overfed tend to fast on their own and pet owners often mistake this as their dog being a picky eater. Dogs are very intuitive at what their body needs therefore when they are being over fed they will turn their nose up at their regular meals, however when offered something new they will eat it very happily. This will only cause behavioural issues.
As puppies need more vitamins and minerals they should be fed according to the chart below :
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